CLAIM FOB REPAIRS

Southland Times, Issue 18968, 15 June 1923, Page 6

CLAIM FOB REPAIRS

A MOTOR-CAR DEAL. fore Mr C° u rt yesterday, beTrillo .. & Crulckshank « S.M., Charles iriuo garage proprietor (Mr Imlay) proceeded against Charles Rodgers (Mr’ O m £ at 2 al , leged be d “ « ted‘t°o f a m rnm o a r l ea U r PP,,Cd aD<I effe - J“ halles Trillo, said in evidence, that he had agreed with Rodgers to start an a<-encv under! k lgC '"n ffidsers was to fina ncZ the undertaking and witness was to keep the car in his garage and attend to the demon- „ n" ,ng ' Rodgw bad down £2OO to the agents for the Paige car ano the had been handed over, but it w a it g £ r T d , one and was hard "> sell. Witness had done his best, but as it sTeTRd me ’ he 7 aS Unable t 0 eff “‘ a out it er? look over lhe car a »d put it m Stomes to be exhibited. Even hen a sale was not effected, so Rodgers took over the car himself. During this mie witness had effected several repairs to the car and had also had the car repainted and two new tyres put on it. It was this frodant WlShed ‘° recover from the de ’ Charles Rodgers stated that he had been asked to take over the agency of the Elgin car , but Trillo had advised him that it would be a far better proposition to take ovar ‘ h ’ t genCy Of tbe r “' Be car - Witness -aid that he was not in a position to do so, but in the end he agreed to back Trillo’s bill for the car, so he paid £2OO and the car was handed over. Later Trillo came to him and said that his business was in a bad way and he saw no prospect of selling the car. Ho further announced his intention of giving up business in Invercargill “d starting in Bluff. Witness then asked what bo was going to gel. for his £7OO which would be the cost of the car together with the interest. Trillo said it was hard luck, but it could not be helped. Plaintiff had also sent him a bill for the advertising Of the car while it had been in his possession, which witness had declined to pay saying that it was Trillo’s concern. Finally witness had taken the car in return for the money he had invested, but he found that it was in very bad condition and had to take it to another garage and get it repaired. He had also had to get tyres for the car. 'The Magistrate said that he could not see that Trillo had any case, as the whole brunt of the affair liad been borne by Rodgers. There were certain items in the bill, however, which would have to be met’ Judgment was given for the plaintiff for £2 378. with. 10/- casta.

meat and for purchase of stock and later upon houses for the soldier settlers, amounting in the aggregate to more than £21,000,000 which has caused anxiety and demands your careful and sympathetic consideration, for it. is certain that the soldiers who settled on land would have been as ready to meet their engagements as the soldiers established in business, had their opportunities been equal. Some of the lands purchased on behalf of the Government were after subdivision, disposed of to the soldiers, upon terms and at a cost, which because of subsequent depression in the prices of our primary products, failed to allow a fair return for the capital, and labour involved. It is obvious, however, that in regard to such lands, the position can be met by your authorising remissions of arrears to a certain extent, and where necessary, reductions in the capital values. More difficult cases are those, where under special provision of the Discharged Soldiers Settlement Act, soldiers were enabled to purchase lands from private persons, advances being made by the Government to them for that purpose, approximating to the capital value as ascertained by Government valuation. In that class of cases there is in general second mortgage of the land to the vendor, followed in some instances by other mortgages where the vendor was himself subject to a charge. The rights of vendors, as well as of the Government are thus involved, and a solution is by no means simple. Boards of enquiry have been constituted with the duty of making close investigation, into the position of soldiers, under the Discharged Soldiers Settlement Act, throughout the Dominion, so that action may be taken thereon, during the present session of Parliament by Ministers. I feel assured, that it is the desire of the whole people of the Dominion that discharged soldiers, who have settled on land and have proved themselves able and willing to manage their holdings, should be enabled to retain their possessions with the prospect of a sufficient return from the properties after discharge of the annual payments, due to the country under their contracts. The legislation providing for Government, advances to facilitate the building of houses generally, has been taken advantage of to a certain extent but has been found to be more fully effective as under the State Advances Act. The limit of advance to 75 per cent, of the value, requires provision by each applicant of a considerable sum. My Ministers propose to submit to you an amendment of the present Act, enabling Government Advances to be made to an extent equal to 95 per cent, of the value-of the land, added to the estimated cost of the building, provided that such loans are made up on at table basis, requiring repayment of the loan and interest by regular instalments.

Honourable gentlemen of the Legislative Council, and gentlemen of the House of Representatives:— You will be asked to consider a Bill to alter the procedure under which local legislation of a minor character is at present dealt with in Parliament. The Reserves and other Lands Disposal and Public Bodies Empowering Act, of 1922, contains 156 sections. The same Act of--1921, contains 136 sections. The collocation in one Act of a number of sections relating to different subject matters, and different local bodies, in cases where the desired legislation is not of such a magnitude as to require the provision of a separate local bill has been found convenient, and it is not proposed to discontinue it. The principal difficulty in regard to such legislation is the absence of notice to the ratepayers and others concerned of the intended legislation, which is thus massed together at the end of each session. By the Local Legislation Bill to be submitted to you, it is proposed to ensure that such notice shall be provided by antecedent publication in the Government Gazette, or where necessary, in the newspapers circulating in the districts concerned. Bills amending the Naval Defence Act, the War Pensions Act, the Samoa Act, lhe Noxious Weeds Act, the Cook Islands Act, the Death Duties Act, the Insurance Companies’ Deposit Act, the Juries'Act, the Justices cf the Peace Act, the Mast-er and Apprentice, and the Police Offences Act, are among the measures which have been prepared and are ready for your consideration. The Dairy Produce Export Bill, the provisions of which were partly considered by Parliament in the session of 1922, will, with certain modifications, be again submitted to you. I commend the subjects to which I have referred to your earnest attention, and I trust that the blessing of Almighty. God may rest upon your deliberations.

The reading occupied twenty minutes, after which the Vice-Regal party departed and members cf the House of Representatives returned to their own place. LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL. After the formal opening ceremony had concluded, and the Governor-General had departed, the Legislative Council held a brief sitting, at which three of th&recently appointed members were sworn in'and took their seats. These were the Hon. Dr A. K. Newman, Hon. Edward Newman, and Hon. Francis Mander. The Council then adjourned till 2.30 p.m. on Tuesday. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. The House resumed at 3.5. The SPEAKER announced that Mr John Andrew Macpherson and Charles Edward Macmillan had been elected for Oamaru and Tabranga seats respectively, since the House last met, and that petitions against the returns of Hons. Parr and Sir Maui Pomare had been dismissed and these gentlemen had been declared elected for Eden and the Western Maori electorates respectively. The members were then sworn in and took their seats.

AIR WILFORD, Leader cf the Opposition, gave notice that on a motion that a respectful address be presented to His Excellency in reply to His Excellency’s speech to members of both Houses, he would move the following amendment:—

“We feel it, however, to be our duty to submit to your Excellency, that your Excellency’s Government does not possess the confidence of the House or of the country, and further we submit to your Excellency that this session cf Parliament should not end until there be placed upon the Statute Book legislation urgently needed in the interests of the country dealing with electoral reform, revision of taxation, revision of the whole of pensions system, land settlement, housing and unemployment, revaluation of soldiers’ lands, establishment of a State bank and Agricultural bank, provision for medical and dental treatment for backblock settlers, and legislation dealing with trusts and combines, and further that as the Government has not declared any policy in regard to defence or any reference to other Imperial questions, which will be discussed at the Imperial Conference, we submit to your Excellency that a full and ample opportunity be given to this House to discuss in detail the various matters which may come up for consideration at such a conference and that the Government should take the House and country into its confidence in regard to its attitude on several matters which will come up for discussion at such conference.” The Hon. J. A. HANAN gave notice of his intention to introduce the election of Ministers Party Government Reform Bill. MR WILFORD gave notive of his intention to introduce an Agricultural Banks Bill, and an Income Tax Bill, Justice of Peace Amendment Bill. MR FRASER (Wellington Central), gave notice of his intention to introduce the Unemployed Workers Bill. MR F. J. ROLLESTON (Timaru), gave - t^at - a address be

presented to His Excellency in reply to His Excellency’s speech to the members of both Houses. * On the motion of the PREMIER, the Expiring Loans Continuance Amendment Bill was read a first time pro forma. In reply to Mr Wilford, MR MASSEY said that he proposed to take the debate on the Address-in-Reply on Tuesday at 7.30. To-morrow’s sitting he said, would be devoted to paying tributes to the memories of deceased members and ex-members. The House rose at 3.35 till 2.30 to-morrow. ILANCE ROUND PARLIAMENT. MR WILFORD’S “BIRCH” (Special to the Times). WELLINGTON, June 14 Glancing round both Chambers of the Legislature on the occasion of the opening of the second session of a Parliament, which is rich wdth promise, either of constructive legislation, or of destructive criticism, one missed two familiar faces, the Hon. D. H. Guthrie, a member of the Cabinet, and Sir William Fraser, who entered the Legislative Council three and a half years ago. On the floor of the House and in the crowded galleries, the wish was expressed that both would rapidly be restored to health for a continuance of their valued services to the country. The full, rich voice of Lord Jellicoe had hardly ceased to measure out the passages of his 5000-word speech, when the Leader of the Opposition was on his feet, announcing his intention to move a want, of confidence in the Government. It is interesting to recall, at the moment, the attitude of Mr Wilford towards the Government. During the ten days’ session of February, he was content to move simply that the Government did not possess the confidence of the House or country. He gave as his. reason for the simplicity of his motion that it was not competent for a private member to move any motion or introduce any Bill that imposed taxation or contained an appropriation. Now apparently there is no such bar to his dressing the window of his motion with the sins of the Government. Thus we see the same causes illustrated now as were embodied in the opening sentences of Mr Wilford’s speech in February. Pensions, unemployment, housing, and later, the incidence of taxation and its effect on the income of the individual and the trading company. All these desired elements of legislation, and many others of the remainder whose need during the present session are quoted by Mr Wilford, are contained in the speech of the Governor-General, with definite promises by the Government, vindicating their pre-sessional forecasts that new legislation will be brought down. Many more measures, which have for their effect the amelioration of the economic condition of the worker, the settler and the income earner, are revealed in the speech which takes into its ambit a comprehensive, topical and up-to-date review of New Zealand’s foreign policy, its colonial administration, and the necessity for representation at the round-table talk by the Prime Ministers of the dominions on matters vitally affecting their future as self-contained units of the Empire. In fact, all that had been anticipated that the speech would produce, might be said to be there, with the single exception of an indication of the possible date when the penny postage will be reintroduced.

Mr Wilford’s notice was received in silence and the business proceeded. Members flooded the Chamber with notices and questions, and the proceedings were becoming prosaic until the Leader of the Labour Party complained that the Government had not yet answered the questions put to them at the short session. The Prime Minister naively remarked that they had done so, and the first smile of the second session was recorded when Mr Holland said that his copy had not reached him. What the Labour Party has in store could not be gleaned in the lobbies last night. Assuredly they will not let the occasion pass without taking a hand with the birch that Mr Wilford proposes to apply to Mr Massey’s back. Mr Holland’s motion of want of confidence courted the approval of members, on account of the fact that it said that a reduction of taxation, improved housing and pensions had not been forthcoming from the Government, nor would it espouse the cause of proportional representation. Three out of four of these claims of Labour have been acceded in the Governor-General’s speech, so that much of the ground has been broken from under Labour’s 4§et. Four months has but served to improve the financial credit and economic condition of the country. Whether it created rxtw fields of legislative criticism for the opponents, of the Government remains to be seen within thcr next three or four weeks. Meantime the Prime Minister and his colleagues go their way with smiles on their faces.